Mama June is finally opening up about her custody battle over daughter Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson!
As we reported earlier this month, the Mama June: Road To Redemption star officially lost custody of the 16-year-old. In a surprising Georgia court ruling obtained by The Sun, it was confirmed June’s other daughter, 22-year-old Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efrid, would get full custody of Honey Boo Boo. June is now required to pay $800 a month in child support until Alana turns 18. Pumpkin also has the authority to determine how often the mother and daughter interact. A pretty major legal change!
Sitting down on Page Six’s podcast Virtual Reali-tea on Friday, the momma finally opened up about the legal loss and shared whose decision it REALLY was! She began by explaining:
“People don’t understand the custody thing. It’s not like somebody ‘lost custody.’ In the state of Georgia, you do temporary guardianship every year and had been with in my addiction. Well, at the age of 12, you’re able to make your choice.”
Pumpkin, a mom to two kids of her own, was given temporary guardianship of Honey Boo Boo in 2019 after their mother’s addiction struggles reached a breaking point. Seeing as that was a safe and stable environment for her, Alana simply decided to stay, her mother revealed:
“Alana made that choice to stay in that environment.”
It must be a good fit for her!
But just because she didn’t rush back home to live with the 42-year-old, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a relationship anymore. Since they’d already lived apart for a few years, it’s almost as if nothing has changed, the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo alum added:
“Alana’s fixin’ to be 17 in just a couple months. So honestly, me and Pumpkin sat down and was just like, ‘Hey, it’s not like I don’t see Alana, it’s not like I don’t talk to her.’ Because I do. I do see her, I do talk to her. We do communicate. So it wasn’t like any difference. The only difference is she’s not sitting right here beside me in my home every day.”
June is reportedly allowed to call her youngest daughter daily — so we’d say they’re still pretty close! She also expressed immense gratitude that Lauryn stepped up to help parent Alana during the difficult time, acknowledging:
“I’m very thankful for her because the situation could have been a lot different.”
Especially since Honey Boo Boo’s father is not in the picture aside from when the show is in “production,” she continued:
“It could have turned into a bad situation. At the time Alana went to go live with Pumpkin at the beginning, I couldn’t even take care of my own self, more less take care of anybody else.”
The newlywed, who also revealed that she was the one to propose to her new husband Justin Stroud, has now been sober for 29 months. We’re glad to hear that this custody arraignment was all Alana’s idea and that it seems to be working well for everyone involved! Check out Mama June’s full interview (below):
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Are you surprised to see June handling this so well?
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